Diabetes Counselling - Weight Matters

Weight Matters

What is Weight Matters?

“Weight Matters” is a new and exciting programme being launched here at Diabetes Counselling Online Inc.!

Survey

Recently we held a survey to find out your thoughts, wishes, needs and problems with weight, food and everything connected to these things – in other words your “weight matters” and what matters to you. 78 people completed this survey and we hope to publish some results here soon.

This gives us some insight into what people are doing to manage their weight, what is helping and making it harder and how our programme might best assist.

Who can join?

At first we are looking just for people with type 2 diabetes, who are overweight and who are already working at losing weight.

Following this project, if successful, we will look at other weight management groups for people with type 1 diabetes and people dealing with other weight management problems, such as eating disorders.

This current programme will not be a diet or exercise programme, but rather a support programme to help you to stick at managing your weight in the long run. The focus will be on weight management, mental health and wellbeing.

What happens next?

We are now calling for people to join the programme via our website. Once you contact us, if you are suitable to join the programme, we will ask you some questions and get you to fill out an enrolment form for us prior to starting the programme. This will include things like questions about your eating habits; exercise; diabetes management; wellbeing; your weight and BMI (body mass index) – we will help you with all of this.

We will then send you some questionnaires and other information prior to the start of the 8 week group programme.

At the end of the 8 week group programme we will ask you to do these questionnaires again, and again 6 months later. We will also telephone you at the end of the 8 weeks and again 6 months later, to chat about:

What you are doing to manage your weight;
How confident you feel in managing your diabetes;
Your wellbeing; and
How satisfied you are with the programme.

We hope to run 3 groups over about 6 - 9 months and will be looking for 16 people to join each group. Then we will look at all of our results.

We have now filled our first group and are looking for people to go on the list for groups 2 and 3.

Please contact us at support@diabetescounselling.com.au if you are interested.

At the end of this we hope to be able to establish ongoing programmes that will support all people with diabetes in weight management at our website.

This first Weight Matters programme will include:

Information pages: This will be available to all members of diabetes counselling online (not just Weight Matters participants) and include information about nutrition; mental health and wellbeing; exercise and activity; common barriers and facilitators to weight management. This will be added over the next few weeks, so check back for the links to fact sheets
The blog, available to all members of Diabetes Counselling Online, in which Weight Matters participants will be encouraged to write entries regarding weight management and their ups and downs, like an online diary;
An 8 week structured group programme of online group sessions held in a chat room;
A weight support buddy programme for recruited participants – you will be matched up with someone else from the group;
Access to a private chat room at any time to meet;
You can also use the rest of the site at any time.

The 8 week programme will be a weekly online meeting, at a set time, in a locked chat room at the website. Topics will be around weight management with a focus on mental health and wellbeing, such as the different types of problematic eating; depression; body image; stigma etc – this will be also driven by participants, with you having a chance at the initial survey to say what you would like covered in the chat sessions. One or two of our counsellors will run each session and guide the group, just like in a face to face group.

After the 8 weeks, you will be encouraged to keep using the blog, forums, chat rooms and link with your buddy and other group members. We are aiming for the support to be long term, as weight management is long term.

Check in here for updates! If you have any questions contact us on Support Diabetes Counselling